Two lost souls in the night
by SpiltWords
Summary: Montparnasse follows Eponine. Hats are stolen, wise words are spoken. Good old fashioned Montponine.


It was early December, a thick layer of snow covered the ground but Eponine didn't care. She walked forward despite her toes being frozen with the only protection being the worn old boots on her feet, which Montparnasse dully noted were once his. His favourite pair in fact until Eponine had managed to take off with them and he hadn't bothered to attempt to reclaim them.

He'd been following her for some time, whether she did not know or whether she did not care to say anything, he wasn't sure. He was careful not to leave any prints in the snow and Eponines little weight took care of that for her as well. He'd been following the girl for most of the evening, he had no where else to be and nothing to do and there wasn't a cats chance in hell he was standing on watch on a night like this. As far as Thenardier and the rest of them were concerned, he had other places to be.

She stopped as she reached the bridge, glancing over her shoulder at him and registering him for the first time. A small smirk played on her lips as she coyly took a step back. "Bit far out your patch, ain't you Parnasse?"

He rolled his eyes at her as he took a step forward until there was barely a few inches between them. She looked up at him mischievously as her hand reached out and in one swift motion she had the hat of his head, even her good for nothing father could have been impressed by that. He raised his eyebrow at her as he reached his hand out to take from her but before he could she had managed to take a few steps away from him with the hat now on top of her head.

He let out an impatient sigh as he watched her, her eyes on his for a moment as she wordlessly dared him to try before she turned from him and began walking away. Each of his steps was silent as he followed her, carefully avoiding any street lights so there was no shadow cast for her to track. She was just about to turn when he made his move, locking his arm around her waist so she had no chance to escape before he slipped the hat off of her head, gave it a little shake and then placed it on his own. "Thank you dear Ponine for looking after my hat."

She rolled her eyes as she managed to escape from his grasp, stumbling slightly at the sudden loss of his support and his hand shot out to steady her. She swatted the hand away from him stubbornly as she stood up straight, the top of her head barely reaching his nose. "I'm poor, not crippled," she scolded him.

He nodded his head, the smallest hint of amusement played on his lips. At first he assumed she had turned to walk in the opposite direction and he was just about to turn to see where she had headed before she slid up beside him, slipping a few coins into her pocket that she must have taken off the blonde haired student that had just past them. "Isn't being poor just another form of being crippled?" He mused.

She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced up at the stars above them, letting the silence linger between them. "Anything can cripple you if you allow it," she told him finally.

He scoffed in reply. "You've been spending too much time in them Inns your Father sends you on errands to. You sound like an old man."

"That's called being wise," she retorted, a playful smile playing on her lips as she glanced at him sideward. "You are too young to understand."

"I'm older than you!" He suddenly protested as he stepped in front of her, his voice raised a few octaves. "Out of the two of us you are the younger, I am far more wiser than you are!"

She let out a laugh that had been stained by too much alcohol, too deep for a girl her age. Her amusement only accomplished annoying him further as he watched her continue to laugh. "If you want to take a husband, you'll have to act more like a lady," he informed her coolly as he began to walk again.

She rolled her eyes at him as she followed, trailing a few steps behind him. "What if I don't plan on taking a husband? I hear they're awfully boring a most the time."

"Then you will remain in the slums," he told her curtly, not bothering to look at her. If she was planning on walking slowly he wasn't going to stick around and wait for her.

She laughed again, the noise grated against his ears. "I don't imagine it'll be so bad if you're there with me."

"And who says I plan on sticking around?" He asked with a hint of amusement as she finally caught up with him.

"Well if you don't I am sure I will find someone to take your place. It wont be hard, I shan't imagine."

He stopped at the mouth of an alley way, giving her a slight bow and in return she gave her a curtsey. He shook his head in amusement at the gesture. "This is where I leave you, Ponine. I imagine I will see you around soon."

She smirked at him as she took a step closer to him, looking him in the eye. "I do hope so."

And then, he was gone without a sound and the night belonged to Eponine once more.


End file.
